RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (AP) – Police in Makkah said they have arrested a Saudi man who helped an Israeli-Jewish reporter sneak into Islam’s holiest city, defying a rule that only Muslims can enter the area.
While Muslims of any nationality and background can enter Makkah, non-Muslims are not permitted because a very specific code of conduct and behaviour is required of all people within its boundaries, including certain forms of modesty, ritual cleansing and prayers.
The public backlash over television reporter Gil Tamary’s visit was immediate on social media, with Muslims and Saudis expressing their anger over his deception and apparent disregard for the sanctity of the site.
It comes as Saudi-Israeli ties have been quietly growing amid shared concerns over arch-enemy Iran. This incident is unlikely to dampen the relationship. Publicly, the kingdom insists its policy is that full ties can only happen when Palestinian statehood and rights are guaranteed.
The outcry appears to have prompted Saudi police late Friday to announce the arrest of the Saudi man who they say facilitated the entry of the journalist into Makkah in explicit violation of regulations prohibiting the entry of non-Muslims. The Saudi male national, whose identity was not revealed, was referred to prosecution and remains under arrest.
The veteran reporter for Channel 13 in Israel filmed himself in Mecca for a roughly 10-minute-long segment that aired on Monday in which he visited a key site on the haj pilgrimage route where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) delivered his final sermon some 1,400 years ago.
He made clear he knowingly had slipped into Makkah with a driver, saying he is speaking in Hebrew quietly so no one can hear him. He claimed to be the first Israeli Jew ever to enter the city. He did not identify himself as Israeli or Jewish to the driver during the recordings.
In the clip that aired, Tamary and his Saudi driver pass a highway turnoff that said non-Muslims cannot pass, and then pass under a huge Al-Quran replica that is the main gateway to the city. “The dream came true,” he said as they pass through Makkah and make their way to Mount Arafah.
